Air spring for a motor vehicle

Abstract

An air spring for a motor vehicle having a rolling bellows filled with gas under pressure, one end of the rolling bellows is connected to a load receiver and the other end is fastened to a roll-off piston′. The load receiver and the roll-off piston are moveable relative to one another depending on a force impinging on the load receiver toward the roll-off piston. A sensor device is arranged inside the rolling bellows by which a distance between the load receiver and the roll-off piston is detected. A pressure piece extending in direction of the roll-off piston is arranged at the load receiver and a sensor body is movably drivable along a sensor track of the sensor device by an end region of the pressure piece facing the roll-off piston. The sensor device generates an electric signal corresponding to the position of the sensor body on the sensor track.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a U.S. national stage of application No. PCT / EP2016 / 068273, filed on Aug. 1, 2016. Priority is claimed on German Application No. DE102015216956.1, filed Sep. 4, 2015, the content of which is incorporated here by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The invention is directed to a rolling bellows filled with gas under pressure, one end of the rolling bellows is connected to a cap-like load receiver and the other end of the rolling bellows is fastened to a roll-off piston. The load receiver and the roll-off piston are moveable relative to one another depending on a force impinging on the load receiver toward the roll-off piston. A sensor device is arranged inside the rolling bellows by which the distance between the load receiver and the roll-off piston can be detected and a corresponding electric signal can be generated.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]Air springs of this type are used ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]It is an object of one aspect of the invention to provide an air spring for a motor vehicle of the type mentioned above that has an economical and simple construction with a low susceptibility to defects, particularly due to the driving operating forces acting on it.

[0012]In order to prevent mechanical wear, the sensor device is preferably a contactless sensor device.

[0016]In this way, the required installation space for the sensor device can be minimized.

[0019]If the gear unit is an angular gear unit and the sensor body is swivelable around a swiveling axis which, is inclined at an angle to the rotational axis of the shaft, the sensor track can be arranged lateral to the pressure piece so that the construction length of the air spring is reduced.

[0021]In order to prevent measuring errors due to backlash in the toothed-wheel transmission, the output gear of the toothed-wheel transmission can be acted upon in a rotational direction by a spring force that is smaller than the force required for the rotational drive of the toothed-wheel transmission.

[0024]This is particularly advantageous when the air spring is a component part of a driver's cab bearing in a motor vehicle so that the driver's cab is kept in a steady position to a great extent regardless of movements during the driving operation of the motor vehicle.

Problems solved by technology

This configuration has a substantially simple mechanical construction that is extensively unsusceptible to driving operation forces acting upon it.

Therefore, it is substantially unsusceptible to defects.

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